Denmark wants to ban sale of nicotine products to anyone born after 2010

Denmark has unveiled plans to ensure future generations are tobacco and nicotine free by considering banning the sale of cigarettes and other nicotine products to anyone born after 2010. The country is determined to achieve its goal of a tobacco-free generation by 2030.

The move is aimed at preventing the next generation of Danes from consuming any form of nicotine, Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said.[1]According to a survey commissioned by the Danish Cancer Society, 64% of respondents support the plan to ban the sale of cigarettes and other nicotine products to people born after 2010.

Smoking prevalence remains high among young people

In Denmark, smoking prevalence has been steadily decreasing for many decades, but has been stagnant for several years at a daily smoking rate of 17.%. In addition, smoking prevalence among adolescents and young adults, which remains very high, has increased from 31.8% in 2010 to 33.2% in 2017.[2].

As a result, smoking is the leading cause of cancer in this country of 5.6 million people and is responsible for 13,600 deaths per year.

A series of effective measures to combat smoking in Denmark

Between 2015 and 2019, Denmark announced the ambitious goal of achieving a tobacco-free generation by 2030. However, despite the high prevalence of smoking in the country, the Danish government did not adopt new measures in this direction. In 2019, the new Social Democratic government supported higher taxation of tobacco products and a new plan to combat smoking.

In late 2020, Denmark adopted one of the world's strictest regulations for vaping products.[3]. E-liquid bottles will have plain packaging from April 2022 (like manufactured cigarettes and rolling tobacco), and will also be taxed more. The government also wants a ban on flavors other than tobacco and menthol for vaping products and a complete ban on advertising for all these products. This ban includes a ban on product displays that can no longer be displayed to the public at points of sale, from April 1, 2022. On merchant sites, it is already forbidden to promote vaping products. The only possibility for online sales is in the form of a list, without photos or graphics.

Denmark is the third country to propose a ban on tobacco sales to future generations, after New Zealand[4] in December 2021 and Malaysia[5] in February 2022. However, he is the first to want to include all nicotine products in the scope of the sales ban.

Keywords: Denmark, Tobacco Free Generation, endgame, tobacco, nicotine

©Generation Without Tobacco

AE

[1] Denmark proposes ban on selling cigarettes to people born after 2010, Euronews, March 15, 2022, accessed March 22, 2022

[2] Buhelt LP, Pisinger C, Andreasen AH. Smoking and stress in the general population in Denmark. Tobacco Prevention & Cessation. 2021;7(April):27. doi:10.18332/tpc/132712.

[3] Tobacco-free generation, Denmark: adoption of plain packaging for certain tobacco and vaping products, July 6, 2021, accessed March 17, 2022

[4] Tobacco-free generation, New Zealand to ban tobacco for future generations, December 15, 2021, accessed March 17, 2022

[5] Tobacco-free generation, Malaysia bans tobacco sales to anyone born after 2005, February 18, 2022, accessed March 17, 2022